The Effects of Divorce on Children - Family Research Council

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Britain, the phenomenon <strong>of</strong> out-<strong>of</strong>-wedlock pregnancy to children <strong>of</strong> divorceed parents has also been found. 128 Abortion. Daughters <strong>of</strong> divorced parents have more abortions than the daughters <strong>of</strong> non-divorced parents, according to a Finnish study. 129 J. Children’s Increased Trouble in Romantic Relationships Trust in Relationships. Parental divorce <strong>of</strong>ten leads to low trust among children, 130 and those who casually date exhibit “the strongest effects <strong>of</strong> parental divorce, suggesting that the repercussions <strong>of</strong> parental divorce may be in place before the young adults form their own romantic relationships.” 131 <strong>The</strong> divorce <strong>of</strong> their parents makes dating and romance more difficult for children as they reach adulthood. Parental divorce horrifies young adults’ heterosexual relationship experiences though the connection is more evident for women than for men, according to one study. 132 <strong>The</strong> effects carry into adulthood. When compared with women from intact families, women from divorced families also reported less trust and satisfaction in romantic relationships. 133 Children <strong>of</strong> divorced parents fear being rejected, and a lack <strong>of</strong> trust frequently hinders a deepening <strong>of</strong> their relationship. 134 One study showed that individuals whose parents divorced were more likely than individuals whose parents remained married to believe that relationships were beset by infidelity and the absence <strong>of</strong> trust, and they were also more likely to believe that relationships should be approached with caution. 135 128 Andrew J. Cherlin, Kathleen E. Kiernan, and P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> in Childhood and Demographic Outcomes in Young Adulthood,” Demography 32 (1995): 299-316. 129 Hillevi M. Aro and Ulla K. Palosaari, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong>, Adolescence, and Transition to Young Adulthood: A Follow-up Study,” American Journal <strong>of</strong> Orthopsychiatry 63 (1992): 425. 130 Susan E. Jacquet and Catherine A. Surra, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and Premarital Couples: Commitment and Other Relationship Characteristics,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Marriage and Family 63 (2001): 627-638. 131 Susan E. Jacquet and Catherine A. Surra, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and Premarital Couples: Commitment and Other Relationship Characteristics,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Marriage and Family 63 (2001): 627. 132 Susan E. Jacquet and Catherine A. Surra, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and Premarital Couples: Commitment and Other Relationship Characteristics,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Marriage and Family 63 (2001): 634. 133 Susan E. Jacquet and Catherine A. Surra, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and Premarital Couples: Commitment and Other Relationship Characteristics,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Marriage and Family 63 (2001): 627. 134 Stacy Glaser Johnston and Amanda McCombs Thomas, “<strong>Divorce</strong> versus Intact Parental Marriage and Perceived Risk and Dyadic Trust in Present Heterosexual Relationships,” Psychological Reports 78 (1996): 387-390. 135 Daniel J. Weigel, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and the Types <strong>of</strong> Commitment-Related Messages People Gain from <strong>The</strong>ir Families <strong>of</strong> Origin,” Journal <strong>of</strong> <strong>Divorce</strong> and Remarriage 47 (2007): 23. 20
General Attitudes toward Marriage. One study reported that persons raised in divorced families have less positive attitudes towards marriage, and more positive attitudes towards divorce. This negative attitude about marriage leads to decreased commitment to romantic relationships, which in turn is related to lower relationship quality. 136 In Sweden, where parental rejection is very high, no significant differences were found between individuals from divorced and intact families in their attitudes towards marriage and divorce. 137 Thus the more common divorce and rejection is among adults, the more the attitudes and expectations <strong>of</strong> rejection are mainstreamed among children, even those raised in intact married families. Adult male children <strong>of</strong> divorced parents show more ambivalence than men from intact families about becoming involved in a relationship, 138 though they invest more money and tangible goods in casual dating relationships. Women share this ambivalence and demonstrate even more conflict, doubt, and lack <strong>of</strong> faith in their partner’s benevolence and tend to place less value on consistent commitment 139 Unwed teen mothers, who have expectations <strong>of</strong> rejection and divorce in relationships, seem to retain negative attitudes towards men instilled by their parents’ divorce. 140 Attitudes about <strong>Divorce</strong> and Marriage. Compared with children <strong>of</strong> alwaysmarried parents, children <strong>of</strong> divorced parents have more positive attitudes towards divorce 141 and less favorable attitudes towards marriage. 142 Specifically, “adolescents who have experienced their parents’ divorces and remarriages may feel that marriage is unpredictable and unstable.” 143 People raised in divorced families are less likely than those from intact families to believe that marriage is 136 Ming Cui and Frank D. Fincham, “<strong>The</strong> Differential <strong>Effects</strong> <strong>of</strong> Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and Marital Conflict on Young Adult Romantic Relationships,” Personal Relationships 17 (2010): 340. 137 Fridrik H. Jónsson, Urdur Njardvik, Gudlaug Ólafsdóttir, and Sigurdur J. Grétarsson, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong>: Long-term <strong>Effects</strong> on Mental Health, Family Relations, and Adult Sexual Behavior,” Scandinavian Journal <strong>of</strong> Psychology 41 (2000): 103. 138 Susan E. Jacquet and Catherine A. Surra, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and Premarital Couples: Commitment and Other Relationship Characteristics,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Marriage and Family 63 (2001): 633. 139 Susan E. Jacquet and Catherine A. Surra, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> and Premarital Couples: Commitment and Other Relationship Characteristics,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Marriage and Family 63 (2001): 627-638. 140 Stephanie Schamess, “<strong>The</strong> Search for Love: Unmarried Adolescent Mothers’ Views <strong>of</strong> and Relationships with Men,” Adolescence 28 (1993): 425-437. 141 Paul R. Amato and Alan Booth, “<strong>The</strong> Consequences <strong>of</strong> <strong>Divorce</strong> for Attitudes toward <strong>Divorce</strong> and Gender Roles,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Family Issues 12 (1991): 306-322. 142 A. Marlene Jennings, Connie J. Salts, and Thomas A. Smith, Jr., “Attitudes Toward Marriage: <strong>Effects</strong> <strong>of</strong> Parental Conflict, Family Structure, and Gender,” Journal <strong>of</strong> <strong>Divorce</strong> and Remarriage 17 (1992): 67-78. 143 Sharon C. Risch, Kathleen M. Jodl, and Jacquelynne S. Eccles, “Role <strong>of</strong> the Father-Adolescent Relationship in Shaping Adolescents’ Attitudes Toward <strong>Divorce</strong>,” Journal <strong>of</strong> Marriage and the Family 66 (2004): 55. 21
Page 1 and 2: The Effect
Page 3 and 4: The major issue fo
Page 5 and 6: the quality of the
Page 7 and 8: tends to affect the relationship <s
Page 9 and 10: children, particularly daughters, a
Page 11 and 12: F. Children’s Weakened Ability to
Page 13 and 14: divorce will exhibit more anxiety a
Page 15 and 16: of family cohesion
Page 17 and 18: outside of marriag
Page 19: addition of a work
Page 23 and 24: marriages. 153 The
Page 25 and 26: experienced a transition are predic
Page 27 and 28: (especially compared to those raise
Page 29 and 30: performance in math. 197 Teenagers
Page 31 and 32: it seems that parental divorce has
Page 33 and 34: following a divorce. 224 Parents’
Page 35 and 36: egardless of its e
Page 37 and 38: B. Increased Abuse and Neglect Chil
Page 39 and 40: 25 20 15 10 5 0 Relative Rates <str
Page 41 and 42: in injury rates, a doubled risk <st
Page 43 and 44: Survey of Children
Page 45 and 46: C. Damaging Behaviors Suicide. Chil
Page 47 and 48: parent…and are more likely to be

The Effects of Divorce on Children - Family Research Council

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?